Spindle-holder



Aug. 13, 1963 P. BoURGEAs 3,100,375

SPINDLE-HOLDER Filed Sept. v11.8, 1962 M R m LX Z 5a 1 l 1 lla 72a 4 \T`\ I l2 l 78 l 5 27 I 22 77 -me/:Zaz':

Pierre Bourg's United States Patent Oi ice 3,100,375 Patented Aug. 13,v i963 3,160,375 SPINDLE-HOLDER Pierre Bonrgeas, l1() Ave. Maurice Faure, Valence, France Filed Sept. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 224,423 Claims priority, application Luxembourg Sept. 23, 196i 8 Claims. (Cl. 57l34) The present invention relates to fthe spindle-holders of twisters and like textile machines, of the type in which the lower end or the spindle, in the form of a pivot, revolves in a foot-step bearing consisting of a bush resting on a foot at the lower end or the spindle-holder.

The object of the invention is to provide a spindleholder of the kind specified which will be simple and robust in construction, reliable in operation, and convenient to maintain.

With this in end -i-n view the spindle-holder according A to the invention is distinguished by fthe feature that between lthe bush :and the bottom of the afoot, pierced axially, is interposed a suitably apen-'cured washer, .to permit, under the action of the rotary motion of the spindle, a circulation of oil in the circuit constituted by: the bottom of a cup surrounding the said toot, with clearance, the axial hole the foot, the aperture of the washer, 'the periphery .of the bush, one or more radial holes in the root, and, finally, the clearance between the oot and the cup.

The oil set in circulation by rthe rotary motion of the spindle ensures eilective lubrication of mhe pivot of the spindle in the bush and 'the bearing surface of the bush on the bottom of the foot.

The invention likewise relates to forms of construction comprising at least one or the following characteristic features:

(a) The aperture of the washer consists or a radial slit;

(b) A further washer rests on the top of the bush, in order to obviate splashes of oil in an upward direction;

(c) The .botto-n1 of the foot is constituted by a plug screwed into the said foot;

(d) The cup is of transparent material, preferably of plastic;

(e) The cup is fixed to the loot in such a IWay as to be able to eoccupy, upon fthe latter, either a service position, for which its bottom is in the neighborhood of the foot of mhe spindle-bolder, or an emptying position, lior which its bottom is low enough :to enable the oil to flow into the said cup; p

(f) The means :for fixing the cup yto 'the root `are constitu-ted by 4associated elements, integral with or secured to the cup and the oot respectively, certain of these elements being constituted by projections, whilst the associated elements are constituted by an annular shoulder;

g) The upper part of fthe cup is liared;

(h) The foot is provided with a collar, which practically closes the ilared upper poution of the cup;

(i) fthe upper part of the spindle-holder comprises a pierced dish, through which passes ya pont-ion, with a reduced diameter, ofthe spindle, revolving in two half-bearings 'of porous material, clasped in a ring of india rubber or like material, rforming an absorber of radial vibrations;

(j) The half-bearings are covered by a pierced dish ttor (the retention or lubricating oil.

The invention will be better understood upon reading the ollowing description land examining the appended drawings, which show, by way off example but not ot limitation, one orm of construction of the invention.

In these drawings:

FIGURE 1 represents in axial section one fom of construction olf a spindle-holder according to the invention; and

FGURE 2 is :an exploded View, on a smaller scale, or the same spindle-holder.

The spindle-holder illustrated in the drawings cornprises a body denoted as a whole b-y 1, and designed to be tixed, by means of a bolt 2, to a supporting bar, called a vault.

rIihe :spindle 4 is designed to be supported, at its lower end, in an assembly mounted in a cylindrical pontion or root 5 of the body 1, whilst it is guided, at an intermediate region of its length, in an assembly mounted in a dish 6, integral with the upper portion of the body 1.

rThe lower end of the spindle 4, in fthe form or a pivot, turns in a foot-step bearing constituted by -a bush 7, the convex under surface of which rests against the bottom or inner end of a concentric recess lin la plug 8, screwed into the internally threaded lower end of the foot 5.

The foot 5 is surrounded by a cup 11, preferably 05E flexible, resilient and transparent material, such as a suitable plastic. This cup is retained on the said hoot by two bosses l2 projecting inwards from its cylindrical wall surface, and resting upon an annular shoulder '13 `ofthe foot 5.

The cup 11 contains oil for effecting the splash lubrication of the pivot lost' the spindle 4, thanks to the establishment `of a circuit comprising an -axial hole 15 in the plug 8, a radial groove 16 in a washer 17 interposed between the bush 7 and the bottom of the recess in the plug 8, lthe annular space between the bush 7 and the plug 8, the aperture or a washer 21, one or more radial holes 18 provided in the loot 5, and, iinally, the annular gap between the external cylindrical surf-ace of the loot 5 and -the internal cylindrical surface of the cup 11.

The circulation of the oil in the aforementioned circuit is effected by the rotary motion- -of the spindle. The washer Z1, loosely surrounding rthe pivot of the spindle, rests upon the upper edge of the plug `8, with a View to obviarting upward splashes of oil, the central bore orf the lhole in this washer being of a diameter suflicien-t to allow the oil to circulate -freely rupvwards, rhrough this hole, around the pivot of the spindle.

A spiral spring 22, interposed between the external cylindrical surface of the 'bush 7 and the bore of the plug 8, resiliently centres the pivot of the spindle in the foot 5 of the spindle-holder, and serves to damp radial vibrations.

'Ihe upper part of the cup 11 is flared, as indicated at lla, so as to facilitate the placing of the said cup upon the lower end of the foot.

In the neighbourhood of the upper edge of the cup 11, the lfoot 5 of the spindle-holder is provided with a collar 5a, which serves as a baille, designed to oppose the entry or dust into fthe said cup.

In order to permit the flow of the oil that is located Y lation and cleanliness.

Vprojections. 12a, situated higher v"up in the cup thanv the projections 12, but designed also to rest upon the annular shoulder 13 of the foot.

'Ihe guiding of the spindle inthe upper dish 6 is eleoted by a split bearing of porous material, the twohalf-bearings a, 25h which bear against a cylindrical portion 4a of the spindle, of reduced thickness. These half-bearings are lodged in a metallic ring 26, which is itself lsurrounded `by a ring 27 of -exible and resilient material, such as india rubber. The half-bearings 25a and 25h, the metallic ling 26 and the india-rubber ring 27 rest upon a washer 28, which is slit radially to facilitate the mounting and positioning of itself upon the pierced bot- -tom of the dish `6.

- These members form a :sort of centering and guiding bearing for the spindle. They are covered 'by a dished member 31, which serves as a reserve oil trough `for the I claim:

1. A spindle-holder for supporting a rotatable spindle which terminates in la pivot at its lower end, the spindleholder comprising: a foot lat its lower end, closed at the bottom, the foot being formed with a concentric cavity in its upper portion and with a axial duct communicating with this cavity, fa bush lodged in this cavity and serving as a foot-step bearing in which the pivot of the spindle revolves and is supported, a washer interposed between the underside of the bush and the bottom 'of the cavity in the foot, and a cup adapted to contain lubricating oil, enclosing the lower end of the spindle-holder, the washer being formed with :a radial slit and the spindle-holder being formed with at least one radial duct in the region of the pivot but aboveA the level of the bush, so that when the `spindle is revolving, oil will ilow outwards through the radial duct in the spindle-holder down between'the foot of the spindle-holder and the sides of the cup, and up -again from the bottom of the cup through the axial Iduct in theV foot, the slit in the washer, and the clearance Ispace between the bush and the sides of the cavity in the foot.

lubrication of the split porous bearing 25a, 25h. Finally,

the upper surface of the dish 6 is covered with a pierced annular plate 32, xed on to the said dish by means of screws, such ias countersunk-headed screws 33.

The bores of the washer 28, the dish 31 aud the upper,

plate 32 are of course larger than the diameter of the upper portion of the spindle, to enable all these parts to be mounted on from above. It is to enable the bearing 25a, -ZSb -to be mounted on .the 'part 4a of the spindle, where the diameter is reduced, that this bearing has been fmade in two parts, which are lodged in the ring 26, the internal diameter of which must of course be greater than the diameter ofthe upper end of the spindle, in order that the mounting may be possible.

The driving bel-t for rotating the spindle has been indicated by dot-and-dash llines at 34.

rIlhe mounting and 4demounting of the spindle, and of lthe various elements of the spindle-holder, are easy to elect.

In operation, the upper part of the spindle is suitably centered and guided in the split bearing 25a, v25b, and the lower part in the bush 7, upon which it rests, any radial vibration being damped, in the former case by the india-rubber ring 27, and in the latter case by the spiral spring 22. i

The circulation of oil through the circuit described above is ensuredY by the rotary motion of theV spindle. For the renewal of the oil, all Vthat is necessary is first to lower the cup t11 into Athe position 11b, in order that all the used oil-may ow into the said cup, so that it can be completely removed under the most favourable conditions of manipu- Supervision of the lubrication is facilitated bythe fact of the cup being made of transparent material. n Y

The invention is not of course limited to the form of construction `described and illustrated, which has been given merely by way of example, as numerous mod-ifications may be made therein, Vaccording .to the application contemplated, without thereby going outside Vthe ambit of thev invention.

2. A spindle-holder as claimed in claim l, `further comprising a washer resting upon the top of the bush, to obviate upward splashes of oil.

3. A spindle-holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the foot includes -a plug screwed into the lower end of the spindle-holder. n

4. A spindle-holder as claimed in claim 1, the cup surrounding the foot being made of a 'transparent plastic.

5. A spindle-holder as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for retaining ythe cup in a service position, with the bottom of the cup close tothe bottom of the foot, and means for retaining the cup in an emptying position, with the bottom of the cup so far below the bottom of the lfoot that all the lubricating oil from the oil circuit can llow into the cup.

6. A spindle-'holder as claimed in claim 5, the said retaining means comprising projections on one of the members and an annular ledge on the other adapted to engage wvith these projections.

7. A spindle-holder as claimed in claim 11, the brim of the cup being ilared, -to facilitate slipping the cup on to the foot of the spindle-holder body, and the spindleholder further comprising a collar on the foot, adapted to shield the tiared upper portion of the cup from the entry of dust.

8. A spindle-holder as claimed in claim 1, Afurther comprising, at its upper end, a dish formed with an axial aperture through which the spindle passes, a split bearing of porous material surrounding the spindle, and a ring of resilient material surrounding the split bearing and hold-Y ing the halves of the bearing together, this ring being adapted to absorb radial vibrations, and 4the split bearing and the resilient ring being located in the said dish.

References Cited in the tile of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS France Aug. 6, 1956 France Aug. 16, 196() 

1. A SPINDLE-HOLDER FOR SUPPORTING A ROTATABLE SPINDLE WHICH TERMINATES IN A PIVOT AT ITS LOWER END, THE SPINDLEHOLDER COMPRISING: A FOOT AT ITS LOWER END, CLOSED AT THE BOTTOM, THE FOOT BEING FORMED WITH A CONCENTRIC CAVITY IN ITS UPPER PORTION AND WITH A AXIAL DUCT COMMUNICATING WITH THIS CAVITY, A BUSH LODGED IN THIS CAVITY AND SERVING AS A FOOT-STEP BEARING IN WHICH THE PIVOT OF THE SPINDLE REVOLVES AND IS SUPPORTED, A WASHER INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE UNDER SIDE OF THE BUSH AND THE BOTTOM OF THE CAVITY IN THE FOOT, AND A CUP ADAPTED TO CONTAIN LUBRICATING OIL, ENCLOSING THE LOWER END OF THE SPINDLE-HOLDER, THE WASHER BEING FORMED WITH AT RADIAL SLIT AND THE SPINDLE-HOLDER BEING FORMED WITH AT LEAST ONE RADIAL DUCT IN THE REGION OF THE PIVOT BUT ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE BUSH, SO THAT WHEN THE SPINDLE IS REVOLVING, OIL WILL FLOW OUTWARDS THROUGH THE RADIAL DUCT IN THE SPINDLE-HOLDER DOWN BETWEEN THE FOOT OF THE SPINDLE-HOLDER AND THE SIDES OF THE CUP, AND UP AGAIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CUP THROUGH THE AXIAL DUCT IN THE FOOT, THE SLIT IN THE WASHER, AND THE CLEARANCE SPACE BETWEEN THE BUSH AND THE SIDES OF THE CAVITY IN THE FOOT. 